EVERGREEN ISSUES: EPA BUDGET CUTS, RAIN IN CAPE TOWN AND WOMEN WIN AT THE OLYMPICS

Every Tuesday we bring you issues that impact you as an outdoor loving woman. Whether it has to do with climate change or female empowerment, we scour the internet, including government bills, social media and local and national news, and deliver it to you – so you know.

1. Rain in Cape Town

A few weeks ago we told you Cape Town, South Africa was speeding towards a total water shutdown. The area has been under one of its worst droughts in more than a century. It all started in 2015, but it got serious fast in 2018 – when officials named a “day zero” to shut down water to citizens so that it could preserve water for essentials like hospitals and areas at high risk for disease. “Day zero” was scheduled to hit in the first 15 days of April… but suddenly the skies opened up.

In a restaurant in Cape Town and suddenly the rain hits – everyone goes outside to see.

It was brief, but that didn’t stop people from rejoicing in the streets. CNN says diners put their forks down and ran outside. Others started collecting the rain in buckets. The area received between 2 and 10 millimeters which is less than .3 inches. It’s not a lot but it’s enough to push “day zero” back until at least May.

Happy weekend Cape Town. Great news: it looks like we can expect some rain today with 10% precipitation & a high of 18 degrees. Bring out your buckets – rainwater is safe to use to water plants & flush.
Together we can avoid #DayZero. Follow @CityofCTAlerts for City updates. pic.twitter.com/xYLNtGEwEU

2. Trump Proposes 23% Cuts to EPA

President Trump and the administration released their 2019 fiscal budget proposal. It’s 160 pages long and four of those pages focus on the Environmental Protection Agency. The president has maintained that he wants to cut “bulky” EPA programs and streamline others.

Notice the president is asking for a 34% budget decrease from 2017. According to EcoWatch, that’s its lowest level of funding since 1990. The proposal asks for funding cuts to climate change research, clean water initiatives and the Environmental Education Program. The Washington Post says that environmentalists are worried “that it’s a thinly veiled attempt to gut federal government safeguards.”

3. Women Win at the Olympics

At Evergreen Girls we are all about supporting and celebrating WOMEN. 17-year-old Chloe Kim and 27-year old Jamie Anderson have proven themselves to be solid GOLD at the Olympics. Kim took home the medal for the snowboard half-pipe, Anderson for the snowboard slopestyle.

Kim landed a backside air, frontside 1080 cab 720, frontside 900, McTwist and a frontside inverted 720. Her run earned her a 93.7 score. Check out her run here.

Anderson’s run wasn’t perfect to her. It was a windy day and she wasn’t able to do everything she had planned but she still rode her way to a gold medal, showing that sometimes you just have to show up and do your best with what you have to win. Check out her run here.

And we don’t want to leave HIM out – 17-year-old Red Gerard also won gold for the U.S of A in the men’s slopestyle snowboarding event. His last jump was epic.

Katie Higgins

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